Known in colonial times as Stanleyville, Kisangani sits on the Congo River over 1,700 km upstream from Kinshasa, deep in the equatorial forest. It is a city of fading colonial architecture, dense humidity, and an atmosphere that feels genuinely remote from the rest of the world.
The Belgians left behind some handsome buildings, including the Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, though most are in advanced stages of decay — the climate does its work quickly here. The river itself is the main draw: Boyoma Falls (formerly Stanley Falls), a series of seven cataracts just outside town, marks the upper limit of navigation on the Congo. The Wagenya fishermen still work the lowest cataract with their traditional tripod-and-basket traps, one of the great river sights of Africa. Upstream of the falls, the river is calm and navigable all the way to the east. Below them, barges make the long, slow journey down to Kinshasa.
Getting here is an expedition. The river journey from Kinshasa takes about a week upstream and is one of Africa's great travel experiences, though conditions on the barges are rough. There are irregular domestic flights. Roads to Kisangani from any direction are poor to impassable, depending on the season.
For background reading, V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River is set in a thinly disguised Kisangani and captures the mood of the place with unsettling accuracy.